offensive struggles
offensive struggles at Wazzu is a file of 3 stories. The newest of them: “Trey Leckner's foot healed. His impact on the Cougs didn't miss a beat”, “Moore takes over WSU playcalls, promises QB competition this week”, and “Moore's homecoming was nice, but WSU's offense is now the problem”. Trey Leckner's foot finally healed, and somehow the Cougs' offense didn't lose a step without him. Kirby Moore is taking the play sheet back. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every offensive struggles story on Wazzu, newest first.
Trey Leckner's foot healed. His impact on the Cougs didn't miss a beat
Trey Leckner's foot finally healed, and somehow the Cougs' offense didn't lose a step without him. That's not a compliment to the offense. Washington State still can't run the ball, still can't block for the quarterback, and ranks 135th out of 138 FBS teams in points per drive. But Leckner himself? He's been a bright spot in a dark season. He missed almost a full calendar year, spring ball, summer workouts, fall camp, the first month of games, with a broken foot that wouldn't stay fixed. When he finally returned in October, he picked up right where he left off. Twelve catches on 13 targets. Zero drops. A reliable pair of hands for a freshman quarterback who needed them. On a critical fourth-and-short against Boise State, Leckner sold the defense on a fake, caught a quick pass, and fell forward for the first down. The Cougs scored a few plays later. That's the kind of detail you have to latch onto when the big picture is this ugly. Leckner isn't a bruiser at 6-3, 243 pounds. He's a finesse tight end in a program that didn't even use them under Mike Leach. He's also a Swiss Army knife who blocks well in pass protection and runs routes like a receiver. He's not the reason the Cougs are losing. He might be one of the only reasons they're still competitive.
Moore takes over WSU playcalls, promises QB competition this week
Kirby Moore is taking the play sheet back. After Washington State's offense went without a touchdown for the second time this season, this past Saturday's 26-6 loss to Fresno State, Moore announced Monday he's taking over playcalling from offensive coordinator Matt Miller. The numbers are ugly. The Cougs rank 133rd out of 138 FBS teams in total yards per game. They've scored three offensive touchdowns in four games against FBS opponents. That's not a slump. That's a fire drill. Moore called plays at Missouri from 2023-25. He knows what he's doing. But knowing and fixing are two different things when your quarterback has thrown five interceptions and your running backs combined for 13 yards on five carries in the second half. Moore says everyone gets reps this week. Caden Pinnick, Julian Dugger, Owen Eshelman, it's an open competition. He didn't rule out playing multiple guys Friday at Utah State. Miller is still on staff and still involved. That's fine. But the buck stops with Moore now. He's not panicking. He said he can't wait to get to practice. That's the right attitude for a guy who just admitted his offense needs a jump start. If you want the full look at what's at stake this week, check out "Utah State on a short week? Cougs need an offensive pulse." It's a mess right now. But Pullman has seen messes before. Go Cougs.
Moore's homecoming was nice, but WSU's offense is now the problem
The boos at Gesa Field Saturday night weren't just about one bad game. They were about a promise that hasn't been kept. Kirby Moore came home in December under a gorgeous sky, waving from a Jeep Wagoneer, telling fans he was excited to build something. The offense was supposed to be the fun part. Instead, WSU just laid a 26-6 egg against Fresno State. No touchdowns. Eight turnovers on the season. Three offensive scores in four games against FBS competition. That's not a rebuild, that's a regression. Moore said the Cougs needed 27 points to win. They scored six. He also said the fans deserve better, and he's right. But "better" has to start with a hard look at the quarterback room. Caden Pinnick took five sacks, threw a pick, and wasn't ready for a snap. He wasn't made available to the media after the game, which is a bad look for a guy who talked about giving the program pride after an earlier loss. Coaches should have at least given Julian Dugger or Owen Eshelman a look in garbage time. Even if Moore sticks with Pinnick, that evaluation has to be real. The defense played well enough to win. The offensive line didn't. The running game didn't. And the passing game didn't stretch the field. This offense hasn't improved since fall camp, and that's the most frustrating part. There's still time to fix it, but it starts with honesty.